Arenal Volcano, one of the most popular sights during a Costa Rica vacation

The World Economic Forum’s yearly travel competitiveness report takes into account a range of factors including natural resources, cultural heritage, the quality of infrastructure and services, and the regulation of the tourism industry.

The report commented on Costa Rica’s Certification of Sustainable Tourism program, and the country’s unparalleled richness in natural resources, World Heritage sites and number of protected conservation areas.

Costa Rica is unique in the world for its level of environmental protection, with almost 30% of the country’s land areas designated as protected areas, either as one of 35 national parks, conservation areas or natural reserves.

The tourism industry has played a major role in the country’s sustainable development program by helping to establish privately operated lodges and reserves.

Some of the most successful and well known protected areas include the Monteverde Cloud Forest, Manuel Antonio National Park, and the World Heritage Site on the Corcovado peninsula.

Supporting these strengths with abundant, high quality services such as hotels, car rental firms and high quality transport infrastructure, means that Costa Rica has been able to reinforce its position as a leading vacation destination in the Americas, and throughout the world.

Costa Rica’s commitment to a sustainable and environmentally neutral tourism industry has been well documented in the past. The UN World Tourism Organization has previously praised the country’s Certification of Sustainable Tourism initiative, calling it a model that the rest of the world should follow.